When I started teaching writing to students in 4th and 5th grade a few years ago, we talked to our students about the importance of keeping writing journals. My co-teachers and I helped students organize their journals with everything from daily writings to lists, hobbies, and writing ideas for the future.
It was because of these “in-class journals” for the students, that I decided to start keeping a journal myself about the local birds who come to visit near my house in the Midwest. We have a variety of birds, ranging from the Broad-billed Hummingbird to the Great-horned Owl. So different in size and habits, and yet both birds all the same. These, and many more visit the area around the woods that run adjacent to my yard.
In creating my bird journal, I learned that a bird journal or some call a birding journal, may be a varied as the birds in the air or the people who watch them. Just like we told our students to decorate their journal covers, a birding journal can be a plain notebook with pictures of birds, drawings, or stickers, and whatever else the creator decides to do.
The inside pages may be plain notebook pages, or pages that have been printed and put in some type of 3-ring binder. A birding journal can be as elaborate or as simple your heart desires.
Categories to Include
A birding journal should include a place for the name of the bird, the location the bird was seen, and the date the bird was first seen in the area. I added the time of day into my journal as well. Colors of the bird are good to write down and pictures are nice.
I like to try and draw the birds just because I like to be able to just keep my journal a “hands on” type of book. IPhone pictures of birds are great, as well as color pictures downloaded from the Internet. It is helpful to have an authentic picture of the bird you might be studying at the time.
To add to my birding journal, I also look up facts about each bird. I love to ask questions and learn more about the visitors to my yard and nearby woods, especially when I see and hear them during the day and night. For example, I had to know why every morning at exactly 5:40 the Great-horned Owl was loudly calling in the woods.
I’m a morning person, so the owl wasn’t bothering me, but my 90-pound Lab was pretty nervous about it. As it turns out from my research, owls tend to hoot at the same time every day at either sunrise or sunset. Sometimes owls hoot at both. They may be trying to attract a mate or declaring their territory, but whatever the case, the owl I saw through my binoculars was quite large. However, the 90-pound lab did not need to worry. Only the field mice or a wandering skunk should keep a watchful eye.
These are examples of some of the little antidotes you can keep in your journal if you wish. The main idea of a birding journal is to have fun while you keep track of the various birds who visit your area. You will be surprised at the variety! Make the birding journal your own and keep it simple, or make it as elaborate as you want. Enjoy, and happy birding!
